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JR and NR-
Seems to me that your debate comes down to a simple disagreement about timing:
Per JR, a player is not prevented from releasing the ball if he is able to release BEFORE HE RETURNS TO THE GROUND.
Per NR, a player is prevented from releasing the ball AS SOON AS THE EFFORT TO RELEASE IS STOPPED AND THE BALL IS MOVED BACK FROM THE DEFENSIVE FORCE.
The rule itself does not answer the question, it just says prevent from releasing -- if anything, I think that favors NR's interpretation.
Case book plays that you've both discussed shed more light. The case NR cited says that if the ball comes loose before the offensive player comes down, it is still a jump. That means the rule CAN'T require the player to come down with the ball to have a jump.
What the rule requires, I submit, is a JUDGMENT by the official as to whether the defenders action PREVENTED AN ATTEMPTED RELEASE of the ball. The fact that the player managed to toss the ball a different direction AFTER THE FACT does not NECESSARILY mean that the defender did not PREVENT the release -- BUT it can (and perhaps should) affect your JUDGMENT as to whether the defender PREVENTED the release, or whether the offensive player DECIDED not to release the ball and do something else because it was going to be blocked.
Like any judgment call, seems to me that there is room for a difference of opinion on the judgment as to whether the release was prevented or not.
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